SB 2016-007: LGBTQ+ Rights Act (Passed Senate)

[Santander]

Here is my view on religious liberty and LGBT:

Religious liberty can be a slippery slope. If you declare that a baker can deny to bake a cake for a gay wedding because that would constitute participation in the wedding, where do you stop? Can the wheat farmer claim that their religious liberty was violated because someone baked a cake for a gay wedding using flour milled from their wheat? How about the oven manufacturer? Nobody is trying to make the argument for that, but if you grant the baker certain rights, these people must be given the same rights. Cakes and flowers are not the defining characteristic of a wedding in any religion. They are just nice things to have to celebrate the occasion with. As such, I do not consider baking a cake to be participation in a wedding, and I don't think a court would rule so if such a matter ended up in court. If we were talking about forcing bakers to write "Gay Marriage is Great" on a cake, that would be a different story, but I think the First Amendment is already unambiguous on that matter.

Some individuals or businesses, such as wedding planners, or clergymen, perform duties that would involve actual participation in a wedding, and should not be compelled to participate in ceremonies that violate their conscience. Photographers could arguably be included in this group (by virtue of being artists), and religious organizations would definitely be part of this group. I find the cake baker argument unhelpful to passing religious liberty laws, which I believe are important.